Hard Bargain
by shadowgrl
Summary: Draco goes about getting who he wants, George, in a very Malfoyish way. Complete.


Title: Hard Bargain

Author: shadowgrl

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairings: Draco/George

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: They are fictional characters created by JK Rowling and borrowed by me for fun.

Summary: Draco makes a deal with an unwilling George. Its time to settle the issue of their attraction once and for all and Draco, being Draco, goes about it in a manner befitting a Malfoy.

George Weasley groaned mentally as the front door to Weasley Wizard Wheezes swung upon. It was almost closing time and Fred had left over two hours ago to go visit his secret girlfriend that he thought no one knew about. This left him all alone to deal with the hordes of Hogwarts students released from the prison called school; students who intended to return with plenty of pranks to make the teachers regret the free day.

It had been a long, hard day and George had been looking forward to closing up shop, taking a hot shower and going to bed.

All this ran through George's mind as he made his way to the front of the store. He had one hand on his wand and the other hand on a smoke bomb-a Muggle device that would enable to him to escape if there was any trouble. Voldemort was out there and his Death Eaters were vicious in their attacks. A person couldn't be too careful these days or too serious about safety and when it came to his or his family's safety, George was very serious.

The people in the front of the store didn't reassure him. Both wore Hogwarts cloaks with the Slytherin crests on them but George didn't need that identifier to recognize one of the young men. With his white-blond hair, haughty expression and smirk he could only be Draco Malfoy.

Even if George hadn't been to school with him he would have recognized him from Hermione, Harry's and Ron's descriptions.

Hermione disliked Draco and Ron and Harry hated him but George had a slightly different view of the seventh year-soon to be graduated-student. 

In George's mind there were two things that set Draco apart from the rest of the world. The first was that he had never had any trouble telling him and Fred apart. When it had first started-back when Draco had taken time from his busy schedule of insulting Harry, Ron and Hermione back in his second year-both George and Fred had been so flabbergasted they had actually been caught by Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape outside of Flitwick's Charms Room. Snape had-with several dirty looks back at them-walked Draco back to the dungeons while Dumbledore had gently routed them and sent them to bed. Since Draco only rarely spoke to the twins it still always surprised them when he addressed one or the other and got it right. It also irritated the hell out of George because, for crying out loud, their own mother couldn't even tell them apart and Draco Malfoy could. It was not a good thing. Though secretly George would love to find out how in the world Draco managed to tell the difference between him and Fred. Especially since he'd never been wrong.

The second thing was George's own personal shame. Despite knowing that Draco had the personality of a bubotuber George could not stop the attraction to the prat that had started in his own fifth year. He had tried everything…from avoiding Draco, to pranking him, to dating other people, to trying to ignore him. When they'd left school behind George had hoped his unreasonable attraction would falter and die out with no visuals of Draco to entice him. Instead his brain had decided to make up for the lack of real Draco by providing dreams about him that ranged anywhere from mild to pure porn and caused him to wake up every morning with a multitude of feelings that ranged from irritation to confusion to sheer malevolence over the lack of control he had.

And now Draco was standing in his shop. He'd never come here before despite them having been in their location for a while now. 

George didn't recognize the other boy with Draco but that didn't really matter. Draco was always the ringleader.

Stepping out from behind a shelf George put his professional mask on, unfortunately Malfoy was a customer and thus had to be treated with some modicum of respect. He just hoped his professional exterior wouldn't crack.

"Malfoy," he said. "What can I do for you?" That went well, he thought. He had managed to interject just the right mixture of reluctant deferential respect and complete boredom into his tone.

As if in slow motion George watched Draco turn towards him. 

He shuddered almost imperceptibly as he felt Draco's gaze rake over him. He hated this. Hated wanting someone so…so immoral. Like his father, what Draco Malfoy wanted Draco Malfoy took and George always felt like he was on the menu when that cool gaze turned on him.

He didn't even know if wanting was a strong enough word to describe what he felt when around Draco. Yearning, yearning sounded much more accurate. He yearned for Draco, ached for him. And he hated every second of it.

"George," Draco sounded pleased as he moved to stand in front of him. "It's nice to see you again. You remember Blaise Zabini, of course?"

He didn't but there was no reason to let that show. George nodded politely at Zabini who nodded back.

Wanting them out of the store, George spoke. "Well, we're about to close and its almost time for you two to be back at Hogwarts so lets get you what you need so you can leave." Subtle, George thought, pleased with himself. It conveyed a willingness to take their money as well as a hint that they should be quick about spending it. It also hid the irritation he felt over his fascination with the light playing on Draco's hair.

"Well, actually, we aren't here to buy. I'm here to discuss a business proposition with you. And, since it is a very important discussion, I took the liberty of turning your Closed sign over. You don't mind, do you?" Draco leaned back elegantly against the counter and George adamantly denied his interest in that pose and tried to fuel his irritation at Draco's presumption instead.

"Actually, Malfoy," George abandoned politeness as he decided that this was Malfoy and he could be as rude as he wanted, "I do mind."

Knowing a person should stay calm and being able to actually do it were two separate things, George thought. Too bad the primitive bit of him was in control-every bit of George was screaming fight or fly and though it would be best to flee this was his territory and he wasn't leaving it without a fight.

Draco appeared almost stunned at George's sudden hostility. A pale eyebrow arched in surprise but lowered again quickly. Draco turned his head to look at Blaise. "I'll just go look at the candy selection," Blaise announced, then quickly suited actions to words and disappeared.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" George forced himself to remember all the taunts of Ron and Harry, the way Draco called Hermione Mudblood, the way his father had tried to kill Ginny…he tried to project hatred into his tone as he questioned Draco. Draco's smirk never even faltered so he wasn't sure how successful his effort had been and that was probably the most upsetting thing of all about this insane attraction to Draco. The git was one of the only people who he couldn't irritate but who could annoy him with just a look from those pale gray eyes.

"As I said, George, I have a business proposition for you. You see, your fine establishment here happens to be on a strip of property that belongs to, well, me."

George had known when Draco had entered the store that the outcome would be bad for one of them. Based on his knowledge of both Murphy's Law and Malfoys in general, he had also known that someone would most probably be him. But he hadn't expected anything like this.

Of course at the same time it was rather amusing is a macabre sort of way. Draco Malfoy was only a few years younger then he was but he was definitely much more cocky. Unfortunately he was also very ambitious and he had been branching out his interests the last few years. It was entirely possible he did own the property their store was on and that called for a change of attitude. George could not afford to piss Draco off until he had a chance to see if Draco was telling the truth.

Of course, knowing Draco and the way he operated-which was pretty much on a want, take, have and ignore the consequences because they don't apply to Malfoys-he might not get the chance to check before Draco decided to name his price.

"Our rent is paid on time. We've never missed a payment or been late."

Draco waved a hand negligently. "Yes, I'm aware of that," he said. "What's your point?"

"My point is that you can't evict us."

Draco laughed. "George, I'm a Malfoy. If I wanted to evict you, I could. I need no reason."

Bitterly George reflected on the truth of that. What Malfoys want, Malfoys get.

"So what are you doing here then?"

"It's like I said before. I have a proposition for you."

Draco abruptly swung around and began to wander about the store. Warily, George followed him.

"You've been in business a while now, hmm?" Draco asked.

Forcing himself to be polite now that there was a large chance Draco could have a real impact on his future, George answered. "We've had the store a little over a year now, yes, but we've been producing for much longer as you know."

"But the store's a big source of income, correct? In fact, I would go so far as to say it helps put food on the table and probably paid for the brand new school supplies little Ginny is being ever so reverent with."

George narrowed his eyes. Though Draco's tone hadn't changed, George was now feeling distinctly threatened. "Your point?"

George blinked in confusion as Draco changed the subject yet again. "How long have we had this thing between us?" Draco asked, abandoning all the formality he had previously used.

George knew he was gaping but he couldn't stop it. They had never ever mentioned their strange attraction; not to each other or to anyone else. It was even a taboo subject between him and Fred. Hell, they had never even confirmed it to each other; this was the first time George knew for sure Draco was attracted to him as well.

Due to Draco's strange behavior and the fact that he had yet to mention this "proposition", George decided to humor the Slytherin. Not to mention Draco had now aroused his curiosity.

"A few years now," George answered Draco's question truthfully but also warily.

"Correct," Draco said. "And in that time neither of us has ever done anything about it. Well, I've decided we should change that. Call it morbid curiosity but I want to know."

"I don't," George snapped. It was even true. Mostly. He resolutely ignored the small voice in his head that argued he did want to know and what did he think those dreams were about anyway?

Draco smirked. "Oh, I know. Which brings me to the reason I'm here. I do want to know so we are going to date, or you and your brother are going to lose this store and all the little extras it brings in to the Weasley family."

George knew Draco was completely serious but he was still stunned at both the audacity and the lengths Draco was going to just to satisfy his curiosity. Yes, Draco seemed to be serious, but George wasn't so sure he was completely sane. It would be best to tread carefully from now on. He was not going to get the chance to do some research on this, he could tell that already. He was locked into this game Draco seemed to be playing and it also seemed to be one where only he knew the rules.

"They are, as you pointed out, extras. We could do without them." George was still carrying the false hope of getting out of this unscathed.

Draco looked George fully in the eye. "Perhaps, perhaps not. It's hard to go without the pleasures once they have been sampled. And the store? Could you go without that?"

"I suppose you'd make sure we'd not get another place either." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"You know me well."

"It is the sort of underhanded thing you'd do," George agreed pleasantly, abandoning all hope of not having to comply with this absolutely crazy idea of Draco's.

Inside, though, he was freezing over. This could not be happening. The store was his and Fred's dream. To lose it after all the work put in…it would be a nightmare.

But George was, at heart, a prankster and a prankster had to be able to think on his feet. He couldn't not agree to this ridiculous plan, and he knew that he didn't want to not do it, not if it meant the chance to finally find out what was between him and Draco. Not to mention that, if he refused, Malfoy would tear the store down as a matter of pride, but maybe he could put his own spin, such as a time limit, on it.

"3 months. I'll date you for three months."

Draco laughed. "A year."

"Five months." A year was way to long.

"9,"Draco countered.

"7."

"8. Final offer."

"Done," George agreed. "Starting tomorrow."

"Agreed," Draco said.

"Good. Then get out." No matter how much he secretly wanted this, and to what he fancifully imagined to be his eternal shame he did want it, he still resented Draco's manipulation.

"Not just yet. We need to seal the bargain."

"A Wizard's Bargain." George could hear the bitterness in his voice.

Draco moved towards him. "Nothing so cold."

Stopping directly in front of George he raked his eyes up and down George's lanky and muscled form. 

"Let's seal it with a kiss."

George closed his eyes.

Completed 9/28/03


End file.
